Year: 2020

If you have decided to paint your home, you may be shocked by the number of different paint options that are available. Knowing about different types of paint and their uses is imperative to ensure that you choose the right paint for your project. We take a look at the different types of paints that are available and when you should use them.

Emulsion paints

Emulsion comes in four types of finish. All are water based and suitable for ceilings and walls. First off we have flat matte. This is a vinyl free paint that is most suited to new plaster. It has a totally flat chalky finish that is well liked but completely untouchable when it comes to durability. Fingerprints will leave marks that can’t be touched up or cleaned off as it will reactivate with any moisture and is prone to attracting dirt.

Vinyl matte – This is a matte finish paint that is good for hiding any mild imperfections on walls if perhaps they’re not quite perfect. It has an extremely mild sheen if you shine light directly on it. There are now mildly durable matte paints that can be gently sponged if needs be.

Mid sheen/soft sheen- This has a mild sheen to it and is often labelled as kitchen and bathroom paint due to its durability and resistance to moisture. This is all to do with the amount of vinyl in the paint. It’s also the vinyl that gives it the light sheen.

Vinyl silk – This paint and is the most durable of all of the emulsions. Its also the shiniest. It’s often used is very heavy traffic areas like hallways and in hospitals and kitchens as it can really take some force if you need to clean the walls or ceiling for any reason. It can be touched up with general ease and is great for light reflection given how shiny it is.

Oil paints

These come in many forms such as wood stains, under coats and gloss or satin being the most common. They are used to paint both wood and metal throughout the home.

The undercoat and gloss are suitable both internally and externally. Gloss is extremely hard wearing and can be cleaned easily. Satin finish is also suitable for wood and metal but doesn’t have what it takes to stand up to the weather outside. It does, however, stay whiter for longer than gloss. Satin isn’t as shiny as gloss and if you really prefer a matte finish then eggshell is the way forward as that has the softest finish of oil based products. Unfortunately, the softer the finish the less durable the paint so that’s to be considered if perhaps you have children or pets that might make cleaning more frequent.

Wood stain comes in two forms, the shiny and the matte. Both can be used inside and out as they’re both durable and can handle the weather. The only thing to remember is that you can always stain darker but you can’t make wood lighter with wood stain unless you’re prepared to sand all of the old stain out if it and start again.

Varnish also comes in finishes ranging from matte to gloss. Oil based varnish will always have a colour to it that acrylic varnishes don’t so unless you want to have a honey colouring to your wood then acrylic is your way forward. That being said acrylic lacks the durability that an oil-based varnish would have.

As you can see, there are many different types of paint that are available for sale today. It is so important to make sure you purchase the right type of paint for the surface and part of your home that you are going to be painting.